exclusive – Georgia Governor Brian Kemp said justice was served when a judge sentenced the 26-year-old Venezuelan immigrant convicted of killing Laken Riley to life in prison.
“I’m glad justice was served,” the governor said in an interview on FOX News Digital on Wednesday, shortly after a judge in Athens County, Georgia, convicted and subsequently sentenced immigrant Jose Antonio Ybarra. It was swift and strict.” Entered the United States illegally.
Kemp said the conviction and sentence was “not surprising” and that Riley’s murder was “a really tragic set of circumstances. It’s tragic for that family, and I certainly agree with that.” “I’ve put it in my thoughts and prayers, and I know that’s what the people and people of Georgia are thinking.” This is being done all over the country. ”
Judge announces verdict in Laken Riley murder trial
Laken Riley’s family and friends react as Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard announces the verdict during Jose Ybarra’s trial Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court in Athens, Georgia. do. (Hyo-Seob Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Riley, 22, a nursing student, was attacked in February as she ran along a path on the University of Georgia campus in Athens. The next day, Ibarra was charged in connection with the killing.
Athens-Clarke County State Superior Court Judge H. Patrick Haggard decided the case rather than a jury, at the request of Ybarra’s attorneys after efforts to move the case from Athens failed.
An interpreter assists defendant Jose Ibarra with headphones during his trial Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, in Athens-Clarke County Superior Court in Athens, Georgia. (Arvin Temkar/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Riley’s killing was repeatedly highlighted during this year’s presidential campaign by President-elect Trump, who advocated mass deportations of the country’s millions of illegal immigrants.
Kemp condemned President Biden’s border security actions, saying, “The policies are outrageous. They’re killing people, not just in Georgia, but across the country, and that’s why people want Donald Trump to be our president, or at least president. “I chose it,” he said. A big reason for that is that we look forward to working with the administration, just as we did in our first term, to secure our borders and prevent this from happening in our local communities. ”
Laken Riley poses for a photo to post on Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on February 22nd. (Laken Riley/Facebook)
“It’s literally heartbreaking for this family, for the people she went to school with, for her friends, for the community, and really for the entire state,” Kemp said. emphasized.
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Minutes after being elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Kemp was interviewed by Fox News Digital on Marco Island, Florida.
